1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an electronic device, to an update connector adapter for interfacing with the electronic device, and to a system and method for programming a control unit of the electronic device. The electronic device may, for example, be provided in a passenger compartment of a vehicle.
2. Related Art
In the art, electronic devices are known that include a main circuit board and a housing in which the main circuit board is fixedly arranged. Such electronic devices may be incorporated into a dashboard of a vehicle and are often part of a multimedia system incorporated into the vehicle. These multimedia systems often comprise a navigation module for guiding the user to a predetermined destination, an audio module for reproducing audio data such as compact discs (CDs), a radio module, and/or a telecommunication module. These electronic devices normally include one main circuit board having one or two main control units for controlling the functioning of the different modules. During the design or manufacture of these electronic devices and also at a later stage, it is often necessary to transmit new software or other data or signals to the electronic device.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art electronic device. The electronic device of the prior art includes a main circuit board 100 on which a first control unit 110 and a second control unit 120 are mounted. These microprocessors 110 and 120 control the functioning of the different operating modes of the electronic device. During the design of the electronic device or also later on, it may be necessary to reconfigure the system or to upload new software or data for controlling the electronic device. To this end, two update connectors 130 and 140 are provided on the main board 100 for connecting a debug interface or any other programming unit providing new data or instructions for the two electronic control units 110 and 120. If the electronic device including the main circuit board 100 is incorporated into the dashboard of a vehicle or into another type of assembled support structure, this means that the electronic built-in device must be removed from the dashboard, and the housing (not shown) around the main circuit board must be opened to access the two update connectors 130 and 140. This makes updating the electronic device complicated, time-consuming, laborious, and costly.
Therefore, there is a need for providing easier access to a main circuit board of an electronic device.